The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 eBook

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Thus addressed
by the intelligent king in respect of what was beneficial
for him. Utanka took leave of the monarch and
set out for the presence of Ahalya. Desirous of
doing what was agreeable to the wife of his preceptor,
he took the ear-rings with him and set out with great
speed for reaching the retreat of Gautama. Protecting
them even in the manner directed by Madayanti, that
is, binding them within the folds of his black deer-skin,
he proceeded on his way. After he had proceeded
for some distance, he became afflicted by hunger.
He there beheld a Vilwa tree bent down with the weight
of (ripe) fruits.[175] He climbed that tree.
Causing his deer-skin, O chastiser of foes, to hang
on a branch, that foremost of regenerate persons then
began to pluck some fruits. While he was employed
in plucking those fruits with eyes directed towards
them, some of them fell, O king, on that deerskin
in which those ear-rings had been carefully tied by
that foremost of Brahmanas. With the strokes
of the fruits, the knot became untied. Suddenly
that deer-skin, with the ear-rings in it, fell down.
When the knot being unfastened, the deer-skin fell
down on the ground, a snake who was there beheld those
jewelled ear-rings. That snake belonged to the
race of Airavata. With great promptness he took
up the ear-rings in his mouth and then entered an
anthill. Beholding the ear-rings taken away by
that snake, Utanka, filled with wrath and in great
anxiety of mind, came down from the tree. Taking
his staff he began to pierce that anthill. That
best of Brahmanas, burning with wrath and the desire
for revenge, ceaselessly employed himself for five
and thirty days in that task. The goddess Earth,
unable to bear the force of Utanka’s walking
staff and with body torn therewith, became exceedingly
anxious. Unto that regenerate Rishi then, who
continued to dig the Earth from desire of making a
path to the nether regions inhabited by the Nagas,
the chief of the celestials, armed with the thunder,
came there, on his car drawn by green horses.
Endued with great energy, he beheld that foremost of
Brahmanas, as he sat there engaged in his task.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Assuming the
garb of a Brahmana afflicted with the sorrow of Utanka,
the chief of the celestials addressed him, saying,
’This (purpose of thine) is incapable of being
achieved. The regions of the Nagas are thousands
of Yojanas removed from this place. I think that
thy purpose is not capable of being achieved with thy
walking staff.’

“Utanka said, ’If, O Brahmana, the ear-rings
be not recovered by me from the regions of the Nagas,
I shall cast off my life-breaths before thy eyes,
O foremost of regenerate persons!’